Supreme Court declines appeal by suspended 98-year-old federal judge

The Supreme Court on Monday declined to hear an appeal by a 98-year-old judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit who was suspended by colleagues in 2023 over mental fitness concerns. The court gave no explanation for rejecting the case. The judge had asked the justices in March to review the decision by her colleagues to bar her from new cases.

Background of the suspension The suspension began three years before the March filing. Colleagues acted after raising concerns about mental fitness and after the judge declined to comply with an investigation into those concerns. The judge submitted results from three mental tests conducted by three separate doctors that she said showed she remained fit to serve.

Colleagues attempted to persuade her to retire before invoking the Judicial Conduct and Disability Act to suspend her.

Status on the court Federal judges receive lifetime appointments and salaries under the Constitution unless impeached by the House and convicted by the Senate. The judge's colleagues have not removed her from the court but have kept her from hearing new cases since early 2023.

She became known as the “Great Dissenter” for her separate opinions on patent law. The circuit hears appeals on specialty topics such as intellectual property and government contracts.